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Currently, allowances have the effect of doubling employee’s pay and in some instances growing it by a factor of 10.

The research institute also recommends capping of allowances such that they account for between 10 and 25 per cent of civil servants gross pay.

“All we are seeing are cases where private sector employees like nurses are seeking jobs in the public sector but not the other way round,” said SRC chairperson Sarah Serem, adding that jobs and wealth should be generated by the private sector.

The gap between the average pay in the public and private sector widened last year. Civil servants had an average monthly wage of Sh47,146 last year while that of workers in the private sector stood at Sh38,974.

The allowances paid to MPs and MCAs have frequently sparked public debate with many Kenyans viewing elected representatives as symbols of a greedy political culture, seeking public office as an opportunity for personal gain.

Out of the slightly more than Sh1 million earned monthly by MPs, basic salary account for half of the package with allowances taking the remaining half.

The MPs’ allowances are set to increase by more than Sh1 billion in the next financial year to Sh4.12 billion, highlighting their position among the best paid legislators in Africa.

The rising allowances are the product of a deal reached last year with the deputy President William Ruto that lifted the restrictions on committee meeting to a maximum of four per week as proposed by SRC.

The MPs can now have as many committee sessions as they deem necessary.

The MCAs earn about Sh200,000 per month that includes a basic salary of Sh79,200. The allowances account for 60 per cent of their monthly package.

Besides allowances, Kenyans want the State to deal with the issue of ghost workers, corruption, cut on non-essential items as well as reduce the number of MPs and MCAs, according to the survey findings.

The wage bill stood at Sh521.6 billion or 13 per cent of gross domestic product, at the end of the last financial year in June 2013 having risen from Sh458 billion in the previous year.